Sep 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals catcher CJ Stubbs (left) and starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez (54) walk to the dugout before the game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Nationals' Other Call-Up Played Crucial Part in Andrew Alvarez's Historic Debut

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 12:07 PM ET

The Washington Nationals have been searching for answers in their pitching staff all season long.

When their lone impressive starter MacKenzie Gore went down with an injury that caused him to be placed on the 15-day injured list, the outlook of this rotation was bleak based on how the rest of the starters had performed. Mitchell Parker and Jake Irvin have taken steps back this year and Brad Lord has blown up when going through the lineup for a third time.

Without a clear-cut star waiting in the wings at Triple-A, it was hard to imagine the Nationals would be able to pluck someone out of their pipeline who could be a suitable backfill for Gore while he recovers from his shoulder issue.

But Andrew Alvarez did exactly that, coming out of nowhere to throw five scoreless innings in his major league debut, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts and two walks.

that'll debut, kid pic.twitter.com/4t6koreczq
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 1, 2025

However, Alvarez wasn't the only one who debuted on Monday, with catcher C.J. Stubbs also getting called up to play in The Show for the first time in his career after being selected in the 10th round of the 2019 draft by the Houston Astros.

What makes this story even better for Stubbs is that he played a major part in his pitcher having such a historic debut, with Alvarez becoming the first Nationals pitcher to throw at least five scoreless innings in his first MLB start.

The 28-year-old Stubbs is known for calling good games, and with him catching someone he was familiar with in Alvarez, that allowed the duo to do something that hasn't been seen in Washington's history.

C.J Stubbs Made History by Catching Shutout

Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Because not only did Alvarez make franchise history with his five scoreless innings, but Stubbs kept things rolling for the remaining four to become the first Nationals catcher to catch a shutout in his major league debut.

"When I found out that I would be catching Alvy in his debut, it calmed me down," Stubbs said, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN. "Because it gave me some familiarity out there. I was obviously excited for him. And the fact we were able to go out there and do it together, it just made everything so special."

While he delivered for his debuting pitcher, Stubbs also was incredible for the rest of the way with the other Washington arms, calling a game that saw Clayton Beeter, Cole Henry and Jose Ferrer all pitch scoreless innings with Konnor Pilkington being the lone reliever to give up a hit.

Nine innings of work where just two hits were made by a Miami Marlins team that just won three out of four against the New York Mets because of their red-hot hitting was nothing short of impressive, and it could power him for the rest of the season as he auditions for a spot going forward.